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Settlement Permit - Gainful Employment Excepted

AustriaLiving from your own income

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Is this aimed at retirees, pensioners, financially independent people, passive-income holders or another profile?

The “settlement permit – gainful employment excepted” is for third-country nationals seeking to settle in Austria without gainful work, including pensioners and financially independent people. The official route requires general residence-title conditions, an available annual quota place and sufficient regular income; the examples include Austrian or foreign pensions, profits abroad, assets, savings and company shares.

See recorded sources

Which types of income/assets are accepted according to the official source?

Accepted income is the applicant's own fixed and regular income, which the official page illustrates as an Austrian or foreign pension, income from abroad, income from assets, savings or company shares. It must be enough to live on without welfare aid from local authorities, and it is measured against the standard rates of the General Social Insurance Act (ASVG).

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The page does not list every accepted asset type or how foreign income is valued.
  • The ASVG rates are labelled 2026; no effective-from date is published on this page.

What income, savings or financial-resources threshold applies and how does family affect it where officially specified?

The official page labels the route-specific 2026 minimum regular monthly income for the “settlement permit – gainful employment excepted” as €2,616.78 for a single person, €4,128.24 for a married couple or registered partnership, plus €403.76 for each child. An annual quota place must also be available. These are the route-specific 2026 amounts; the lower general ASVG subsistence rates on the same page are a separate general residence-title condition.

See recorded sources
  • https://www.migration.gv.at/en/types-of-immigration/permanent-immigration/other-forms-of-settlement/ — Migration.gv.at route-specific 2026 income rates and quota
    "settlement permit - gainful employment excepted" Third-country nationals wishing to settle in Austria without gainful employment (e.g. pensioners, financially independent individuals) may obtain a residence title “settlement permit – gainful employment excepted“. This residence title may be granted to third-country nationals, if: they fulfill the general requirements for granting a residence permit, a quota under the quota system is available (only a limited number of settlement permits can be granted each year). • they have a regular monthly income (e.g. Austrian or foreign pensions, profits from enterprises abroad, income from assets, savings or company shares) in the following amounts (2026): rate for "settlement permit - gainful employment excepted” Single € 2,616.78 Married couples or registered partnerships € 4,128.24 Additionally for each child € 403.76

Can the holder work locally, run a business or perform other economic activity? What is the family position?

This route is expressly for settlement without gainful employment; the holder is not permitted ordinary work under this title. The income scale adds a fixed amount per accompanying child to the required monthly income. The official source does not state whether a spouse or child receives their own residence title.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The captured official page does not establish every condition for this route; verify the remaining route-specific rules before approval.
  • The captured page does not state whether a spouse or child receives their own residence title or must apply through a separate family-reunification route; only the income scale mentions a child addition.
  • captured paragraph
    Third-country nationals wishing to settle in Austria without gainful employment (e.g. pensioners, financially independent individuals) may obtain a residence title “settlement permit – gainful employment excepted“.
  • captured paragraph
    Additionally for each child € 403.76

How long is the status granted, what is required for renewal, what physical-presence obligations matter, and what longer-term residence direction exists?

The residence title is generally issued for one year without labour-market access; it is issued for three years instead if the holder has completed Module 1 of the Integration Agreement and has lawfully resided in Austria without interruption for the preceding two years. After five years of uninterrupted lawful residence, a Long-term Residence - EU title may be applied for once the general requirements are met and Module 2 of the Integration Agreement has been completed.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The captured official page does not establish every condition for this route; verify the remaining route-specific rules before approval.
  • captured paragraph
    The residence title allows time-limited settlement without access to the labour market and shall be generally issued for the duration of one year.
  • captured paragraph
    The residence title shall be issued for a duration of three years if
  • captured paragraph
    the third-country national has completed Module 1 of the Integration Agreement and
  • captured paragraph
    has lawfully resided in Austria without interruption during the previous two years.
  • captured paragraph
    After five years of lawful residence without interruption, a residence title “Long-term Residence – EU” may be applied for
  • captured paragraph
    if the general requirements have been met and
  • captured paragraph
    Module 2 of the Integration Agreement has been completed.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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